Wiswall Dam Fish Passage Meeting

[lowwall]

Public Meeting on a proposed Fish Passage on the Wiswall Dam. Great way to Spend a Friday Night!
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DRAFT Agenda for Wiswall Fish Passage Scoping Meeting


Durham Town Hall January 23, 2009 7pm


Introduction to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Presenter: Kim McCracken, NRCS
This presentation with provide a brief overview of NEPA to help the public understand the scoping process.

Project Background, Fish passage at Wiswall Dam, and USDA-NRCS Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) Award.
Presenter: Sue Hoey NRCS
This session will offer some background on 10 years of work leading up to the NRCS award to fund a fish passage alternative at Wiswall dam.

Migratory Fish Species and other wildlife benefits of a fish ladder or dam removal
Presenter: NH Fish and Game or NRCS
Background information about migratory fish species and various levels of benefit from different alternatives.

Historic Resources
Presenter: Public Archeological Laboratory (PAL)
PAL will offer a description of key historic resources at the Wiswall site and
how historic resources may be impacted by either a dam removal or fish ladder installation.

Recreation
Presenter: Lamprey River Advisory Committee
Recreation at Wiswall Falls: How activities such as boating, swimming and wildlife viewing may be impacted with either alternative.

Fishing
Presenter: Great Bay Chapter of Trout Unlimited
The impacts of fish passage on the sport fishery along the Lamprey River.

Engineering

Presenter: David Cedarholm, PE Town of Durham Engineer

Wiswall Dam Structure Uniqueness
State Mandated Wiswall Dam Repairs
Operation and Maintence of Denil Fish Ladder
Pros & Cons of Dam Removal - Denil Fish Ladder
Changes in Town Taxes based on either alternative


New Groundwater Source Supply at the Spruce Hole Aquifer and Possible NH Coastal Program Assistance
UNH-Durham Water System Emergency Water Supply
Drinking Water Quantity and Quality
Artificial Recharge Potential within Spruce Hole Aquifer

[TGIF]

I am not a Lamprey fisherman... so i don't really know how this lays out.... but what fish are they anticipating to use the fish passage? Is this the dam above the area that Otter's group stocks?

[Banks10]

Historic Resources
Presenter: Public Archeological Laboratory (PAL)
PAL will offer a description of key historic resources at the Wiswall site and
how historic resources may be impacted by either a dam removal or fish ladder installation.



"Key historic resources" Give me a break. The damn dam has been there for 200 years maybe and the river for thousands and yet removing it will be detremental to "historic value." Every time this argument is brought up by opponents of dam removal I want to puke.

[lowwall]

This activity has value and is required, don't think it would stop a project. I like old dams and mills my self. Think you could take themdown while leaving a little reminder of there past. Here is an excerpt from a Dam Removal Doc

"New Hampshire takes great pride in its rich history, and part of the dam removal planning process is to assess the project's potential to impact historical resources. In accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, the State Historic Preservation Office must be consulted about the project as early as possible in the project planning process. They may recommend further study to determine the historic value of the site, based on both archaeological and architectural criteria. At some project sites the dam's historic contributions are honored with interpretive signs, recovered mill stones and other information. In other cases, when a dam is
historically significant, dam removal may not be appropriate and other alternatives may need to be considered."

http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/db/documents/db-19.pdf (http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/db/documents/db-19.pdf)

[lowwall]

This is the strech stocked by 3 Rivers, It would open up 43miles of river. Still a dam between it and great bay in Newmarket. If it was not for that I would think it would be a much beter canidate for AS restoration than the Mack. Salters can utilize the same fishladers as Herring I believe so that could be something to think about.

Excerpt

"1.4 Project Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose of the proposed project is to restore the aquatic ecosystems that are
impacted by the Wiswall Dam and associated impoundment on the Lamprey River, with a
primary goal of restoring the migration of anadromous fish to habitat upstream of the dam.
Approximately 43 additional miles of riverine habitat would become accessible to native
anadromous fish, including river herring, American shad, American eel, sea lamprey, and
Atlantic salmon if fish passage were provided beyond Wiswall Dam. Since anadromous
fish are a federally significant resource (ER 1105-2-2100), and fish passage around Wiswall
Dam would improve the habitat of anadromous fish, the project purpose has national
significance.
Historically, the Lamprey River supported populations of alewives and blueback
herring (collectively known as river herring), American eel, sea lamprey, American shad,
and Atlantic salmon. However, in past decades, dams built for industrial and residential
Draft Environmental Assessment 6
development have obstructed fish migrations on the river. Currently, efforts are underway
to restore these anadromous fish to their historic spawning habitat in the Lamprey River and
other New Hampshire coastal rivers. These efforts began in the late 1960s and early 1970s
with the construction of fishways at dams on the Lamprey, Exeter, Cocheco, Winnicut,
Taylor, and Oyster Rivers in order to re-open freshwater spawning and nursery habitat for
river herring and other anadromous species. On the Lamprey River, a fish ladder was
constructed at Macallen Dam in Newmarket, which is the first barrier to upstream migration
on the river. This fishway has been successfully passing river herring to upstream areas
between Newmarket and Wiswall Dam since it was placed into operation (in approximately
1972). Currently, some of these fish are trapped at the fish ladder, and transported to
Pawtuckaway Lake, which flows into the Lamprey River upstream from the Wiswall Dam
in Epping via the Pawtuckaway River. These river herring migrate downstream to mature at
sea, and return to the Lamprey River to spawn. However, once they pass the fishway at the
Macallen Dam, the Wiswall Dam blocks them from further upstream spawning migration.
Therefore, the need for the project is to allow anadromous fish to migrate further upstream
into their native spawning habitat.
The New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game estimated that approximately
50,000-60,000 river herring pass through the fishway at the Macallen Dam annually,
including those that are retained for transport. The fish migrate upstream as far as Wiswall
Dam, spawning in the section of the river between Macallen Dam and Wiswall Dam.
However, there are approximately 43 river miles containing anadromous fish spawning and
nursery habitat upstream from Wiswall Dam that are inaccessible to these fish due to the
lack of fish passage at Wiswall Dam (see figure 1). In order to re-open this additional
upstream habitat, it is necessary to provide fish passage around Wiswall Dam."

http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/projects/nh/wiswall/wiswalldea.pdf

[Banks10]

Don't get me wrong, I do like historic buildings and structures. And I can see the historic value to our history, but I just think some of these people who want to stand in the way of dam removal or mitigation for fish passage cannot see beyond 200 years ago.

[TGIF]

Be careful talking about making it a candidate for the AS... Otter adn the boys will have to shut down stocking opperations.

[RichShady603]

has anybody ever seen herring,shad or any other anadromous fish up as far as wiswall? I have seen pics of salmon caught there in the 90's.

[OTTER]

Yes, Every year in spring I see at least hundreds of them for a few days milling about at the base of the Wiswall dam; possibly thousands of them.

[Aljack]

has anybody ever seen herring,shad or any other anadromous fish up as far as wiswall? I have seen pics of salmon caught there in the 90's.

Were they cohos? Anyone remember that stocking program? I fished there several times during the mid 80s for them. I didn't have any luck but my brother caught one.

[RichShady603]

I'm pretty sure it was an Atlantic but, not 100% sure. I will try to find and post link. I think it was on a TU site.

[Relheok]

Found more info.... Sorry for digging up old crap

http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/projects/nh/wiswall/wiswallappb.pdf

[Jared]

i think we need to be asking the important question here, the question that's really on everyone's minds...if we open up the dam, what will become of the bikini clad bridge jumpers that jump into the open water? :-D

[BugChucka]

Rich, they threw some AS broodstock in there years ago, used to catch them at Packers.